Here at Power Automedia, parent company of Corvette Online, my colleagues are mostly reluctant luddites when it comes to the electrification of the automobile. Most have their arms crossed when the conversation turns to electrified vehicles, except for guru Paul Huizenga, who long ago forecasted the Corvette would be a recipient of a battery.
An Australian car mag just revealed a sighting of a Corvette chassis at a GM battery facility in Michigan and we’re not surprised.
According to Car Advice, “During a tour of General Motors’ impressive battery laboratory located at the GM Campus in Warren, Michigan, CarAdvice spotted a shell of a Corvette within the battery lab.
This is the same lab used to test battery cells, evaluate their performance and fit them to prototype vehicles. The shell on the hoist was labelled ‘Y1BC’, which is the code name given to the current C7 Corvette.
Internet rumours suggest that the C8 Corvette will be mid-engined and is likely to feature a hybrid system that offers 5kWh of battery power and around 20km of driving range. While it won’t be an electric cross-country cruiser, it will be enough to offer added performance from the V8 engine.”
We think a Corvette augmented by a torquey electric motor would make good, better. GM has already trademarked the E-Ray name so something’s on the boil at Chevrolet.
The question is, can Corvette fans accept something so new fangled and “outside the lines?” If it had a sub 3-second 0-60 time would all be forgiven?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Be nice.